Squeeze driers



April 29, 1958 F. R. SlBBALD SQUEEZE DRIERS Filed Nov. 19, 1954 United States Patent O SQUEEZE DRIERS Frederick Roy Sibbald, Greenford, England, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 19, 1954, Serial No. 470,079

Claims priority, application Great Britain December 4, 1953 2 Claims. (Cl. 68--242) This invention relates to squeeze driers of the suction type such as may be incorporated in, or used in association with, clothes-washing machines for squeezing the washing or rinsing liquid from clothes.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved assembly between a flexible bag in which the clothes are received and to the interior of which suction is applied, and a supporting platform by which the mouth of the bag is supported.

According to the present invention a suction squeeze drier for squeezing liquid from clothes includes a flexible impervious bag supported by its mouth in an opening in a supporting platform having an upstanding flange at the margin of the opening, the bag mouth having a depending skirt of which the unstressed circumference is less than that of the llange, and which is stretched round the flange.

1n one form of the invention the skirt, in its unstressed state, is of smaller circumference at the top than at the bottom so that while the upper part is stretched the lower part is stretched less or not at all.

One specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation, partly in section, of a squeeze drier incorporating the present invention,

Figures 2 and 3 are enlarged sectional views of parts of Figure l, and

Figure 4 is an exploded view corresponding to Figure 2.

In this embodiment, the squeeze drier, which may be incorporated in a washing machine, for example as described in the present applicants U. S. A. patent application, Serial Numbers 395,201 and 395,221 led November 30, 1953, comprises a llexible impervious bag moulded from rubber or like material of circular plan shape having aside wall 11 of frusta-conical form merging into a curved bottom wall 12.

In accordance with the present invention, the bag is supported by its mouth in an opening 13 in a supporting platform 14 having an upstanding flange 15 at the margin of the opening. The mouth of the bag is formed with a down-turned skirt 16 of which the lower edge merges into an outwardly directed flange 17. As shown in Figure 4, the outer surface 18 of the upstanding flange 15 is substantially cylindrical but in its unstressed condition the inner surface 19 of the skirt 16 is frusto-conical so as to decrease in circumference towards its upper end at which its circumference in the unstressed condition is appreciably less than that of the upstanding flange 15. When the bag is lowered into position through the opening 13 in the platform 14, the skirt 16 is stretched round the llange so that the tension in it ensures tight sealing engagement between the upper part. of the outer surface of the upstanding flange and the inner surface of the skirt. There is little or no stretch of the lower end of the skirt so that the outwardly directed ange 17 remains unstressed and undistorted.

A rigid cast metal clamping ring 20 rests on top of 2,832,209 Patented Apr. 29, 1958 the outwardly directed flange 17 and has a portion 21 extending over the top of the skirt and into the mouth of the bag. The clamping ring is secured to the platform by screws 22passing through the llange of the rubber bag but since -the skirt 16 is sealed to the upstanding flange 15 of the platform due to the tension in it, the number of screws can be reduced to a very small number, for example four, thus reducing the number of points at which leakage might occur and greatly simplifying the task of removing the bag in service.

At one point of its circumference, shown in Figure 3 and on the left in Figure 1, the flange 17 of the rubber bag is formed integrally with a suction pipe connection 23 which extends down through a hole 24 in the platform and registers with a hole 25 in the clamping ring. This is connected through a suitable suction pipe 26 to a suction pump (not shown).

The bag is provided with a domed cover 27 which is of greater diameter than the clamping ring 20, and has a sealing rib 28 at its periphery. The outwardly directed flange 17 of the rubber bag extends beyond the clamping ring and affords a substantially plane annular sealing surface 29 for engagement by the sealing ring 28 of the cover.

in accordance with the invention described in the present applicants companion U. S. A. patent application, Serial No. 470,048 filed November 19, 1954, and as shown clearly in Figures 2 and 3, the peripheral portion of the flange 17 of the bag is chamfered or tapered at 30 so that whereas the inner portion 31 of the flange is clamped to the platform, the peripheral portion 32 is unsupported. Thus there is a space 33 of wedge-shaped cross-section between the underside of the periphery of the flange and the upper surface of the platform. Such an arrangement provides effective sealing with substantial tolerance in all directions. Thus the use of a substantially plane annular sealing surface 29 provides a seal that is not unduly sensitive to horizontal movement of the cover. Moreover, the rubber sealing surface can yield to a considerable extent in a vertical direction. At the same time when suction is applied to the interior of the bag the atmospheric pressure applied to the under surface or chamfer 30 of the periphery of the flange will press it firmly into sealing engagement.

The flange 17 of the rubber bag lies in an annular trough 34 pressed in the supporting platform 14, of which the surrounding surface preferably slopes down towards this trough.V Under normal circumstances the trough will contain liquid and when the periphery of the ilange of the bag is pressed down the sealing surface will generally be wetted or flooded, thereby improving the seal.

Even in circumstances where there is insufficient water in the trough to flood the sealing surface, 'there is usually a certain amount in the space 33 under the chamfered surface 30. When the lid is clamped down the sealing ring 28 bears on the sealing surface 29 and presses it downwards, reducing the space 33, and raising the level of the water above the sealing surface.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A squeeze drier for squeezing liquid from clothes comprising a supporting platform having an upstanding cylindrical llange defining an opening for inserting a bag, said bag formed of flexible impervious material having a mouth for removably inserting clothes, a skirt depending from the exterior of said mouth and terminating in a laterally extending flange, means attaching said flange to said platform, said skirt cooperating with the wall of the bag to deline an annular recess of substantially uniform cross section and of frusto-conical shape to receive said upstanding cylindrical flange to suspend said bag` therefrom, the internal circumference of said skirt in its unstretched state adjacent said bag mouth being less than the external circumference of said upstanding flange whereby that portion of said skirt is stretched around said upstanding flange after attachment thereto.

2. A squeeze drier as described in claim 1 wherein 5 the internal circumference of said skirt adjacent said lateral flange is substantially that of the external circumference of said upstanding flange, whereby the lateral ilange remains unstretched when attached to said platform. 10

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kemper July 31, 1934 Woodward Jan. 22, 1935 15 

